Bastion Brotherhood
"In the world's most darkest hour, we shall hold the torch of hope to light the path to salvation." - Alexander Maxson I, Founder of the Bastion Brotherhood. The Bastion Brotherhood is an ancient organization which predates the Huntsmen and Huntress Academies that protect humanity in the modern day. They were among the most well known guardians of mankind until their seeming destruction during the Great War. However the order continued to exist in secret, where they spent the next 80 years rebuilding what they lost. They have since resumed operations since their reveal during the "Breach Incident" several months before the Vytal Festival. Overview The Brotherhood of Bastion, in its ancient form, was an order of Knights who once were committed to battle against the Creatures of Grimm. However in its present day incarnation the Brotherhood has become more of a full-fledged international paramilitary force with various branches and services. During the Great War the organization declared neutrality in the conflict, as they tasked themselves with handling the Grimm while the Kingdoms fought one another. However this neutrality ended when the Kingdom of Mantle assaulted Bastion, under the belief that they were a threat to their sovereignty and a false claim that they were consorting with Vale and Vacuo. In the third year of the war, Bastion was believed to have been wiped out - however the organization not only survived, but in the 80 years after the war, they had since rebuilt what they had lost, and become stronger than ever before. History From a forgotten past The origins of the Bastion Brotherhood date back to a time long forgotten to legend, thousands of years ago. In a time where magic was plentiful, and humans were more than capable of manifesting it fully, there once was an Kingdom ruled by a cruel tyrant - King Mather. He began a crusade against other kingdoms, outlawing illegal forms of magic that were deemed dangerous by the royal court. Driven by a belief that these magics corrupted souls if used often. Leading this force was the Moonlight Templars, the greatest Knights that the world had ever seen, loyal to the King and the royal family. However, a day came when it was discovered that his daughter, Salem, had been granted with vast magical prowess - inherited from her Mother, who was secretly a sorceress. The King, in a fit of rage, killed his wife under the guise of her being a corrupted witch, and locked her daughter within her room - put under strict guard. The king hoping that the Gods would help 'cure' his daughter, or failing at that, buy time for him to purge her wicked nature that he continued to see. He tasked some of his best Knights to stand watch over Salem, to ensure she would never leave her room, and ordered by penalty of death to never speak to her, claiming that her mere words could corrupt them. While this order stood for some time, some men were willing to break this oath. One such man being Canus Ferrarius, who also was a secret practitioner of otherwise Illegial spells. He was facinated with the King's daughter, and as they spoke, he - and his closest allies - realized that their King was wrong, that Salem was just a young girl with an amazing talent, and that he had gone completely mad. Knowing that they alone could not hope to break Salem free, they spread the rumor across the world, of the beautiful princess, locked away in a tower by her cruel Father, desiring nothing but freedom. This rumor spread like wildfire, and men and women alike rose up to the challenge for fame, fortune and glory to save the princess from her confinement - but most would fall before the loyal Templars of the King. All save for one man, known only by the name of Ozma. Ozma bested all of the King's challenges, and seeing their chance, the defecting Knights - lead by Canus - rebelled against the King alongside Ozma, and together they were able to finally free Salem from her imprisonment. With their Kingdom in ruins, Canus and his allies had no where to go, but Ozma offered to have them join he and Salem - to explore the vast world together. Canus and his knights accepted, and for many years the company of heroes adventured from one end of the world to the next, braving dungeons, slaying great beasts and becoming the heroes to many tales. The First Fall of Man However, after years of exploring the world, this came to a tragic end when Ozma fell ill to a mysterious illness that no mage could properly cure - leaving the companions devastated, none more so than Salem herself. After failing to convince the God of Light to bring back Ozma, Salem went to the Domain of Darkness to speak with Zekrem - the God of Darkness - in a gamble to bring him back. While initially the God agreed, the intervention by Reshi, the Light God, resulted in them passing a curse upon Salem which granted her immortality. However Salem would use her immortality in a bid to rally the world against the Gods, as even Canus joined in her cause - as he deemed the Gods as arrogant to not even let them say goodbye to Ozma. However this was doomed to end in tragedy when the gods were unaffected by their attacks, and the God of Darkness initiated the first purge of mankind, as all human life on Remnant was wiped out - save for the Immortal Salem. Reincarnation However, Canus would eventually be brought back into the world, thanks to a deal cut with the Goddesses of Time, Space and the Afterlife, who helped reseed human and Faunus life across the world. And they sent back Canus to help keep mankind united. The former Knight went on to encounter and join forces with the reincarnated Ozma, and the Immortal Salem as part of the first Great Empire of Remnant. He was warmly accepted by his former comrades, where he became the chief Knight of a new order of Knights who lead their armies in their quest to unify Remnant. Canus himself would go on to become the godfather to Salem and Ozma's children. During their reign, they succeeded in conquering much of what would become known as modern day Drache, earning the respect and worship of many who viewed them as gods due to their otherworldly abilities. However Canus was first to have doubts on their quest, as religiosity was beginning to take hold among the order as they began to worship Salem as a true immortal Goddess, as a cult was beginning to form within their borders which demanded worship. A schism slowly began to brew between those loyal to Salem and their Empire, and the skeptics who rallied with Canus and Ozma. These tensions boiled over during the Shattered Night, where Ozma - attempting to take his magic-bearing children away from Salem - ended up in a lethal battle with his wife. This proved to be more than a spark which began a massive battle between the loyalists and skeptics of the order fought against one another in the mist of this battle, as Canus fought to defend the lives of the children. However, the Shattered Night resulted in the destruction of not only the castle, but seemingly the entire royal family, save for Salem. Canus, one of the few survivors of the battle, spent hours searching the rubble for the children, but his search was in vain for all he could find was a damaged doll which once belonged to them. Struck with grief, Canus left Salem behind as he took to the world, to mourn in solitude. The Birth of Bastion Canus, much like Ozma, went through many reincarnation cycles mourning and drinking his sorrows away - wasting away in bars. However one time, he stumbled across a slowly blossoming Kingdom, known then as Bastion to the south of Sanus. He discovered that some of the knights he had trained survived the Shattered Night, and went on to begin forming a new Kingdom away from Salem. They were lead by a young, yet strong young man named Tiber Arcadius. He was charismatic, a natural leader, a strong warrior, but most surprising... he was fully capable of utilizing magic. Stunned by what should be impossible, Canus felt a flicker of hope with this small group of Knights, as he once more swore himself into service as a warrior and knight to Tiber Arcadius. Thus began a new crusade to unite Remnant together, lead by the Kingdom of Bastion as they became an Empire which spanned the entirety of Sanus and much of Anima. Tiber going on to beginning a royal line with a Anima native, Helena Nikeos. A Doomed Alliance Years into their reign, Bastion was one of the largest empires in the world, and it seemed as if the goal of unifying the world was truly possible. With dominion over two major continents, all seemed to be well as civilization largely respected the will of the Bastion Empire. However this all changed when the isolationist continent of Drache, having been dormant for over a century fighting a civil war against Ozma's loyalists, emerged from their exile under a new name: the Empire of Salem. Salem herself asked for an audience with the Emperor - which Canus advised against, as for him the scars of the Shattered Night still felt fresh. However Tiber desired to see a unified Remnant, and believed that they must begin such by breaking bread with Salem. The two Imperial leaders met one another, and at first, relations - while tense - were peaceful as they seemed to share the same goal, of uniting the world. Salem even attempting to mend bridges with Canus about the Shattered Night. Eventually however, the nomadic tribes of Solitas threatened the two empires, which kicked off a join war against the Northern continent, as Drache and Bastion fought together to fight the savages of the north. During the course of the war though, a divide began to form between the forces of Bastion and Drache. The Imperial Cult of Salem were very fanatic in thier beliefs that Salem was a goddess, and would go on to preach 'her divine word'. Organization In its prime, the Bastion Brotherhood was renown for their tactical prowess in battle, their code of honor and the morale they could bring by their mere presence. They were exclusively knights dedicated to the eradication of the creatures of Grimm and evil forces on Remnant. After their initial collapse however, the Brotherhood was quick to begin adapting to the changing times and technologies, as their old power armor was further expanded and improved upon. But that was not all that changed, as the Brotherhood expanded into new sects, each one with equal responsibilities to the Brotherhood's survival. The Knights of Bastion: "I am one of the world's most finest warriors. I am a servant to the people, a guardian for the weak. '' ''I am the first and last line of defense. I am of the bulwark against terror. '' ''I am a defender of freedom, a keeper of peace. '' ''I am a weilder of the torch of hope. '' ''I am a Knight of Bastion. And I will hold my ground." - The Creed of the Bastion Knights. The Knights of Bastion are the forefathers of the entire Brotherhood - having existed for well over a millennia. They are made up of only the greatest, toughest and strongest warriors of the Brotherhood, and are renown for their sturdy armor, which - as the times went by - was upgraded into the power armor known today. Rank Structure: * Grand Elder * High Elder * Elder * Master * Sentinel * Head Paladin * Star Paladin * Paladin Commander * Paladin Lord * Senior Paladin * Paladin * Junior Paladin * Lord Chevalier * Chevalier ' * '''Head Knight ' * '''Knight Commander * Knight Captain * Knight Sergeant * Senior Knight * Knight * Knight Junior * Journeyman Knight * Senior Squire * Squire * Senior Initiate * Initiate ''' '''The Order of the Crescent Wolves: A specialized Chapter of Knights of the Brotherhood, the Order of the Crescent Wolves are tasked as the personal bodyguards, security and attendies of the Grand Elder of the Brotherhood at all times. The Bastion Guardsmen: "Come on you dumb apes! You wanna live forever?" - Common Guardsman battle cry While the Knights were the initial face of the Brotherhood, after the collapse of the Brotherhood, the survivors needed to widen the amount of people they could allow into the order, but not all men or Faunus could properly adapt to the life of a Knight. This eventually lead to the founding of a mainstay general army, much like those of Mantle, Vale, Vacuo and Mistral during the war. While these men may not have power armor, they are armed with the most efficient equipment that could be afforded to them by the Brotherhood. What the Guardsmen may lack in strength, they make up for in numbers and sheer determination. The Bastion Lancers: The joint Air and Naval arm of the Bastion Brotherhood, the Bastion Lancers were just as new as the Guardsmen, as they became the pilots and commanders of Bastion's blooming aerial and naval fleets of airships and submarines. The Bastion Rangers: Often considered the 'middle ground' between a Guardsman and a Knight, the Bastion Rangers are some of the most elite forces of the Brotherhood. They were the advance scouts of any operation, and the best saboteurs that the Brotherhood could ever ask for. The Bastion Inquisition: The Council of Scribes: Equipment